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NDP leader Thomas Mulcair concluded his brief tour of Alberta's oilsands Thursday, toning down his language and avoiding new controversy after several weeks of controversial remarks towards the region.

However, following a brief meeting with Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo mayor Melissa Blake and a tour of Suncor Energy's mine, the official opposition leader's message remained steadfast, arguing that Canada's energy development is hurting other parts of the country.

Mulcair also accused the Tory government of failing to enforce existing environmental laws and that Canada should strive for a cap-and-trade carbon system, dismissing concerns that it would lead to a carbon tax that would cripple Alberta's economy.

"These are extraordinary undertakings on a human scale. I mean, they're massive," Mulcair told reporters in Edmonton following the tour. "It's extraordinarily impressive, but it also brings with it real challenges. Real challenges that if we don't assume in this generation, we're going to bear in future generations."

Mulcair's arguments that Canada is suffering from Dutch Disease - an economic theory that argues high prices for natural resources attract capital and labour away from the manufacturing sector - have angered Western politicians in recent weeks. Since the comments were made, several think-tanks have published studies claiming to support or debunk the diagnosis.

Although he did not mention any existing or proposed pipeline systems by name, Mulcair repeated his support for refining Alberta bitumen in Canada, instead of shipping the substance to refineries in Asia and the United States.

"On the principle of sustainable development, it's to your advantage to add jobs here," he said.

This was Mulcair's first trip to the region, which he chose to call "bitumen sands" during an Edmonton press conference, instead of the widely used terms oilsands and tarsands.

"They're bitumen sands, because the chemicals are neither oil nor tar. If removing that linguistic impediment can make the conversation easier, I'm not going to keep it in place intentionally," he said. "But unfortunately, a linguistic cleanup doesn't at the same time change anything about what we're talking about in terms of the ecosystems."

In Fort McMurray, Blake told reporters that Mulcair raised valid points about environmental sustainability, but the two agreed to disagree during their meeting.

"His passion is deep for the advances he's trying to make in environmental legislation," she said. "He's got some valid points. He's got some that I disagree with. But overall, I respect the visit he made to our region and the time that he spent while he was here."

In what Blake called a friendly "kitchen table" style conversation, the two discussed issues related to the environment, population growth and pollution. Mulcair's recent criticisms of the oilsands were also addressed.

"The Dutch Disease, I put the question on the table and he indicated it was good practice for what he'd face later. But ultimately, he went into why he sees it the way he does," she said. "I have disagreements in terms of the extent of the involvement that industry here locally has in terms of the dollar depreciation impact that happens in the manufacturing sector. But he has some valid points as well."

Following the meeting, the mayor gave Mulcair a gift bag containing a reusable shopping bag, a reusable water bottle and a pencil "for writing policy, in case you need to erase," she said. However, the NDP leader's meeting with Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, while cordial, was less warm.

"His understanding of our economic impact on the rest of the country is somewhat surprising," said Lukaszuk. "I've read enough about some of the comments that were uttered before that, frankly, nothing surprised me."

Premier Alison Redford is attending a conference in the United States, but posted a pre-recorded statement regarding Mulcair's visit.

"Recent comments by the federal leader of the opposition serve to divide our nation by stating baseless allegations and mistruths," she said. "I hope that going forward, he recognizes the value of our natural resources to the Canadian economy."

Opposition leader Danielle Smith of the Wildrose party criticized Redford's absence as poor leadership. However, she acknowledged Mulcair's tamed demeanour compared to recent weeks, and suggested similar behaviour is appropriate for anyone hoping to become prime minister.

"When you stand up to a bully, the bully backs down," she said. "Let's remember who started the fight. It wasn't us who started this fight, it wasn't Western Canada who started this fight."